Petrol Records and Universal Music Group hosted an evening to honour Australia’s iconic, INXS at the State Theatre in Sydney. Mr Boyd produced a rock inspired performance on the grand staircase of the Sydney State Theatre for the 400 strong invited guests.

Mr Boyd teamed up with FSHD Global for their 8th Annual Chocolate Ball to raise money for the charity who fights Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, a highly complex, progressive muscle wasting disease affecting the lives of men, women and children from all walks of life.

The theme for the evening was Moulin Rouge! for which Michael Boyd created six routines with a cast of Sydney’s best 10 dancers. Each performance was paired with innovative styling to entertain the guests of the Ball.

Opening the night was “Lady Marmalade” with a Mr Boyd twist. The boys appeared from within their audience to greet the female performers on stage before being shown up by some intricate and sharp choreography. Immediately following this number, guests were treated to a high speed can-can complete with break dance, fouetté turns, tricks and high kicks.

The second act opened in spotlight on a single dancer, joined by a cameo from Mr Boyd himself along with additional couples for intimate partner work. A solo en pointe followed to whimsical “One Day I’ll Fly Away”, by a dramatic tango to “Roxanne”.

To close, dancers quick-changed for the “Diamonds” finale, adorned in jewels, sequins, feathers and fans. All dancers had stunning make-up thanks to Jill Vuibureta, lifting the show even further to a theatrical level.

This was a special job where Mr Boyd was fortunate to collaborate with Stephen Tannos and Sarah Stollery who each choreographed performances for the evening. To work with young, visionary, Sydney-based choreographers and performers made Michael’s work all the more impactful and enjoyable.

When direction and fashion combine, Michael Boyd is in his ultimate element. While running Mr Boyd, Michael and Sam Gray have been working tirelessly behind the scenes on their own mens swim and resort wear collection: Grayson Boyd.

Before launching the Australian label, Grayson Boyd was scouted and invited by Art Hearts Fashion to show at Miami Swim Week 2017, where they have just launched to the world with rave reviews.

Michael’s creative direction talents played into Grayson Boyd’s hand, elevating their runway experience, where he had control over styling, movement, music and visual media. A huge thank you to Art Hearts Fashion for their professionalism and support as part of this journey.

Grayson Boyd has already gained serious momentum, with the launch being shown on FashionTV;

Other featured articles are by Fashionably Male, calling Grayson Boyd “an Australian inspired, colour-charged, summer time loving swim and resort wear brand”, and Daily Mail, who claimed “Grayson Boyd was flying the flag for Australians on the Swim Week runway – and they did not disappoint.”

A flash back Friday to Mr Boyd collaborating with Eventing Edge for Heinemann Duty Free, bringing the official opening of the worlds largest airport duty free shop at Sydney Airport to life, with a runway full of special moments highlighting the products available.

Michael Boyd let his creative direction expertise guide an array of professional models down the catwalk and into the eager eyesight of his audience. Rather than having the models just walk, Michael created paused moments influenced by the products available in the duty free area.

All clothing and accessory labels were tastefully styled by Michael Azzollini, and enhance by moments of a spritz of perfume, a touch up of lipstick, a bouquet of flowers given, and more.

Followed by an echoing round of applause, finale of all models, flitter, and the ribbon cutting, it was a sophisticated and creative opening to remember.

To complete the event Mr Boyd also choreographed for the after party held at Circular Quay’s Passenger Terminal. Bree Rakowski stunned in a bejewelled catsuit for her contortion act, Talia Fowler merged pointe with contemporary burlesque complete with a feathered headdress, and four flapper dancers got the party started in colourful fringe dresses.

To close the 2017 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Sydney, Mr Boyd collaborated with Romance Was Born designers Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett, presenting their theatrical disco show involving glitter, nudity, dance and a whole lot of colour.

With the pieces being works of art, Michael Boyd used his direction experience and expertise to individually advise each model on how to best showcase their unique garments. He spoke passionately to the models about connecting the Electro Orchid brief to their walks, to make unique statement moves that photograph well, and to perform as if they were filming a video from all angles.

To headline the finale, three disco-inspired dancers swung through the metallic red doors channelling the power female trio The Supremes. One by one they flowed and twirled down the runway, threading in and out of flower adorned columns in their own daydream world. Custom made rainbow dresses by Romance Was Born flew and spun the audience into the flower child era, complete with rainbow body art by multiple Archibald winning artist Del Kathryn Barton.

Event and Production for this incredible evening by Cat Rose, and Creative Direction by Mark Vassallo.

This show was the embodiment of ‘a perfect day in the office’ for Mr Boyd: working with one of Australia’s best fashion houses, a brilliant team and marvellous execution on all fronts. Michael’s wrap-up was short and sweet, “I could do that every single day.”

The team at Mr Boyd would like to congratulate the winner of this years Bulgari Art Award, Tomislav Nikolic.

This time last year Michael Boyd collaborated with Bulgari to create a contemporary piece with moments of pas de deux performed by Andrew Crawford, Laura May, Lucy Palmer, and Madeleine Kazda. Choreographed around two 40-metre tables full of dining guests, the performers glided around the outside and through the middle of their audience in the iconic lobby of the Australian Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Mr Boyd was inspired by the movement of coloured dye dropped into water, its fluidity, slow beauty and vibrancy. Custom-made skirts were designed to replicate this movement, the colour specifically chosen to portray a blank canvas to showcase the million dollar Bulgari jewels the girls wore whilst performing.

In additional to the piece the girls were also living installations as the guests arrived, walking gracefully through the crowd adorned in a variety of Bulgari jewellery.

After a teaching hiatus Michael Boyd is back in the studio teaching three open classes at Sydney’s Brent Street.

Last week’s class was awesome! Mr Boyd is back in the studio (Brent Street) tonight at 8.00pm ($20).

Photo credit: Jez Smith

Michael Boyd encourages all professional dancers and dance students alike to come along and develop their own artistry within his choreography. Mr Boyd says:

“Dance isn’t always about nailing each lot of 8. It’s also about your performance quality, finding a way to make foreign movements sit perfectly on you and expressing any discomfort through your own interpretation.

Here’s a short clip from last week’s class:

Tonight’s class will have some optional variables with continued solo work, partner work and mirrored choreography. He has also incorporated space for break dance or trick moves.

Looking forward to seeing you there tonight!

Michael Boyd is Creative Director at Mr Boyd. A selection of his work as a director and choreographer in Sydney, Australia is available at mrboyd.global

Michael Boyd finds success from workshopping with his dancers, building from the visuals the performers make with their own style and interpretations of his choreography. His work is developed and tuned, containing emotion, character, and history.

This video was filmed during the second rehearsal of this piece with Talia Fowler and Andrew Crawford.

Michael wanted to combine classical technique with hip hop music, showcasing the female as the hero which is often portrayed in ballet. His goal was to commercialise the genre, making it attainable for a variety of dancers. His vision from the start was imagining this choreography being performed under water.

Mr Boyd artists are selected for their passion and dedication to their performing art. They help portray an invested and personal performance at Mr Boyd events, ensuring a lasting impression on their audience.

Kookaï’s Autumn/Winter 2017 media launch was drenched in opulence, elegance and timeless romance. The George Ballroom played venue-host to the evening’s do, with cascading floral door features and a stunning hemispherical, interactive floral installation.

Special guests and a selection of Australia’s fashion influencers lined the Ballroom in an L-Shape to view the show.

Michael Boyd created the soundscape for the fashion show and selected tracks that melded beautifully together, inspiring narratives of cool Winter morning walks and romantic nights on the town. Imagine models strutting through the classic Victorian ballroom with Corinthian influence to a Mr Boyd mashup of Dreaming (Hylas) and Heaven Sent (Kasper Bjorke – Nicolas Jaar Remix). For the finale Mr Boyd mixed strings and bird song into the Electric Lovers remix of the now infamous Adore by Amy Shark.

Guests were left visibly wanting more following the finale. Kookaï co-founder Danielle Vagner expressed her absolute rapture with the final result.

Along with model choreography, Mr Boyd also gave lighting direction for show pre-during-and-post show states. The Mr Boyd team also handled model direction back of house, calling them for the show and during changes.

A night of trading in shoes for sandy feet and celebrating all that is Hermes’ infamous beach parties.

Michael Boyd brought the Carriageworks venue to life with choreographed, 50’s inspired, beach acrobatics. Guests were entertained by the acrobats throughout the evening with a number of performances that included skilful balancing and brilliant tricks. Mr Boyd spent a number of weeks choreographing and directing these performances in the lead up to the event.

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Michael Boyd is Creative Director at Mr Boyd. A selection of his work as a director and choreographer in Sydney and Australia is available at mrboyd.global